Supreme of the Heavenly Realm
Chapter 229 - 226: Plotting in the Dark

Chapter 229: Chapter 226: Plotting in the Dark

After bidding farewell to everyone, Ye Xuan descended the mountain and left, heading to the northern port to set sail as arranged with Mu Yan to meet up.

Ye Xuan left the mountain alone, not having seen Ling Qianxue and feeling somewhat regretful in his heart. However, since he hadn’t seen her, he let it be, with just a slight discomfort in his mind.

Yet, after descending the Heavenly Martial Mountain Range and traveling a short distance north, he suddenly stopped.

"Come out, stop skulking around."

Ye Xuan turned around suddenly and looked behind him, but the spot where his gaze fell was empty, with no one there.

After Ye Xuan stared for a moment, the sound of rustling came from that place, and then a slender figure in a white dress appeared in his view.

The figure was none other than Ling Qianxue.

"Why did you follow me?"

Ye Xuan was startled and could not help but twitch the corner of his mouth. Although he had felt someone following him, he had not expected it to be Ling Qianxue, who should have been at Heavenly Martial Hall by now. Unexpectedly, she had followed him all this way.

"It’s not that I followed you. I just happened to be descending the mountain for training. We’re just traveling the same way," Ling Qianxue argued.

"Is it such a coincidence?"

Ye Xuan couldn’t help but grin, and after watching Ling Qianxue skeptically for a moment, he moved his gaze away and pointed to a fork in the road ahead, "Then which way are you going next?"

"Why do you need to know that?" Ling Qianxue furrowed her brows.

"Knowing which way you’re going allows me to choose a different route. You’re supposed to be on a training journey, and we’re not taking the same path," Ye Xuan said with a faint smile.

"You!"

Hearing this, Ling Qianxue bit her silver teeth, her delicate fingertip pointed at Ye Xuan, her bosom heaving with upset. Seeing this, Ye Xuan shook his head with a smile and then approached her, "All right, go back. It’s getting late, the hall master must be worried. I’ve always been used to being alone and am not comfortable with someone following me. Besides, the place I’m headed to is the Chaotic Sea Domain—a place of unknown dangers, not suitable for you."

His trip to the Chaotic Sea Domain was not just for cultivation. If Ye Mei had not deceived him, his enemies were unprecedentedly powerful, and even his own safety might not be guaranteed, let alone Ling Qianxue’s. This time, he was determined to go alone.

"If you can go, why can’t I? You’re not much stronger than I am, and I won’t be holding you back," Ling Qianxue said firmly. She would not easily be dissuaded, having come all this way.

"Then tell me why you’re following me. Give me a reason, and I’ll allow it," Ye Xuan suddenly changed his approach and asked.

"I..." Ling Qianxue was put on the spot, her beautiful eyes flickering uncertainly.

"Could it be that you like me?" Ye Xuan’s mouth curved slightly.

"What are you babbling about? Don’t flatter yourself. How could I possibly— You’re not my type at all," Ling Qianxue’s pretty face changed color, and she quickly denied it.

"If that’s not the case, then why follow me? Go back, so others won’t worry about you," Ye Xuan’s expression returned to normal, and then he turned to continue on his way.

After walking a distance, Ye Xuan purposely looked back, and seeing that Ling Qianxue had not followed, he breathed a sigh of relief, then quickened his pace and quickly disappeared from view.

However, Ling Qianxue’s expression changed as she watched the increasingly distant Ye Xuan, but she undeniably did not intend to just let things go.

The decisions she made were not easily swayed.

...

At the northernmost part of the Tiannan Region lay a vast and boundless ocean. No one knew how big this ocean was, but if the journey went smoothly, merchant ships setting sail from Tiannan northward could reach a whole new domain in one to two months—the Chaotic Sea Domain.

The Chaotic Sea Domain was indeed a place of chaos. It was said that there was no order, and everything depended on the fist—whoever had the bigger fist had the right to speak. In the Chaotic Sea Domain, influences were manifold and much more intricate and powerful than those in the Tiannan Region. Forces like Sky Demon Mountain and Xuanbing Mansion, if placed in Tiannan, were nothing short of formidable existences.

Beifeng Port, the largest port for setting sail from Tiannan, had thousands of merchant ships departing daily. A significant portion of them was bound for the Chaotic Sea Domain for commercial activities.

After several days of travel, Ye Xuan finally arrived at this largest port of the Tiannan Region. Upon arriving, he started to coordinate with merchant ships and set the time for departure.

At the same time, he was waiting for Mu Yan’s message, as he had agreed to sail with her. Furthermore, her current situation was not safe. Once he safely escorted Mu Yan out of the Tiannan Region, he would be able to relax.

After staying at Beifeng Port for three days, Ye Xuan finally received a message from Mu Yan, and they arranged a meeting place in their minds.

However, as Ye Xuan left the inn, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. He felt like someone was following him, yet he didn’t spot any familiar faces, which puzzled him greatly.

"Could that girl have followed me again?"

Ye Xuan mused, harboring some suspicions, but he did not pay too much attention to it.

Where Ye Xuan had just glanced, a roving figure wearing a conical hat and clothed in rough hemp revealed an exquisitely delicate countenance. Despite the dirt and grime, the traveler’s innate elegance could not be concealed.

"I refuse to believe I can’t shake you off. I’ve disguised myself like this; there’s no way you’ll recognize me."

Ling Qianxue deliberately pressed the hat lower and then followed behind.

Ye Xuan zigzagged through the streets and eventually arrived at a sparsely populated inn to the west of the city, stepping over its threshold.

He surveyed the inn and his eyes lit up as he spotted a woman in a black robe sitting quietly at a table—it was Mu Yan.

"You’ve arrived."

Seeing Ye Xuan enter, Mu Yan’s eyes brightened, and a radiant, beaming smile spread across her face.

Ye Xuan nodded and took a seat opposite her. Although he felt something was off about Mu Yan, differing from usual, he didn’t suspect much. Perhaps she was just excited from escaping the Black Demon Sect and reclaiming her freedom.

At this time, Ling Qianxue sat not far from Ye Xuan, clenching her teacup tightly, unable to hide the anger between her brows. "No wonder you’ve been insisting that I should go back. Someone has already been waiting here for you. I just can’t understand what’s to like about this enchantress."

She recalled the series of events that had happened before and found herself doubting whether that irritating man had truly fallen for the enchantress.

In Ling Qianxue’s sight, Ye Xuan drained the tea in front of him in one gulp. At that moment, Mu Yan’s lips curled into a sinister smile.

All of a sudden, her fingers pinched together, and black needles shining with an alarming glow appeared between them. Then she abruptly sprang into action, her palm waving, and the silver needles shot toward Ye Xuan.

His pupils suddenly narrowed, Ye Xuan quickly retreated and spun around. Even so, caught off guard, three needles still pierced into his body.

"You!"

Ye Xuan’s complexion changed. He hadn’t expected her to attack him suddenly. As the black needles entered his body, it felt as if venomous insects had burrowed inside him, and like a virus, they rapidly wreaked havoc throughout his system.

While the poison spread, Ye Xuan acutely felt his bodily functions seemed to deteriorate, his vitality dissipating, the blood in his veins flowing sluggishly, almost solidifying, and his movements slowed down considerably.

Sensing the abnormal toxicity, Ye Xuan hastily circulated his True Qi, activating the Molten Lava Earth Core Fire to try to harness its scorching power to destroy the troublesome poison, temporarily stifling its spread.

"You dirty brat, go to hell!"

Mu Yan sneered, that smile appearing oddly malevolent. The next moment, she wielded a red whip. With a fierce flick, she lashed it toward Ye Xuan’s neck.

"Demoness, cease your insolence!"

Just as the whip lashed out, a sharp cry rang out, and a chilling sword light cleaved onto the red whip, sparking intensely and repelling it.

A figure landed beside Ye Xuan, steadying him, "Ye Xuan, are you alright?"

"I’m fine."

Ye Xuan shook his head and then saw Ling Qianxue’s face, expressing his surprise, "Why are you here?"

"Now’s not the time for that. You still have the nerve to ask, if I hadn’t come, you’d already be a wronged spirit under this demoness’s hands."

Ling Qianxue spoke irritatedly, initially fuming to the side, not expecting to see Mu Yan make a move on Ye Xuan and then acting without a second thought.

"There seems to be something weird about her, like she’s being controlled," said Ye Xuan, observing an odd glow in Mu Yan’s eyes he had never seen before, sensing from her aura that she was not herself at the moment.

"And you’re still defending her in such times, truly besotted with love. I should have left you to your fate," Ling Qianxue said angrily, giving Ye Xuan a shove. Unsteady on his feet, he almost faltered, drawing his long sword and planting it into the ground to support himself.

"Alright, let’s get out of here first."

Ye Xuan’s face was pale, feeling his strength ebbing away within. The poison was no ordinary toxin, as it was overpowering his body’s defenses, causing his physical state to weaken, even walking became unsteady.